Crowd gathers for ‘Strikes for Mike’

Mike Germann was surrounded by friends and loved ones who came out to support him during the “Strikes for Mike” event held at Community Lanes Bowling Alley in Georgetown, July 14. -

Saturday’s packed house at Community Lanes Bowling Alley in Georgetown was a display of how strong the local support can be when a friend or loved one is in need.

The crowd gathered for a very worthy cause, a benefit to help raise funds for Mike Germann who is fighting a tough battle against cancer.

Germann grew up in Ripley, a graduate of Ripley-Union-Lewis High School, who went on to study business education at Urbana University and earned a Master Degree in Education Leadership at the University of Dayton, later becoming the Business/Finance teacher at Peebles High School.

Germann has always held a deep love for sports, serving as a local basketball referee even while battling cancer.

Saturday’s event at Community Lanes in Georgetown was a huge success, more successful than many of those who helped organize the event imagined it would be, raising over $12,500 to help Germann in his battle against cancer. Not only was there bowling, but there were many nice items given away in auctions and raffles throughout the event that ran from 2-5 p.m.

“My words here are not going to do justice to the event that took place yesterday. I am overwhelmed by the number of people who came out as well as the amount of money and items donated,” Germann said in a post on social media the day following the event. “Lori Maloney, Rick Blackburn, and Donnie Maloney are awesome. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work they put into the benefit. I also want to thank everyone who came out to the event, everyone who donated auction items, and everyone who purchased items. I would like to mention some other names, but due to the fear I would leave someone out, I will just say thanks to anyone who put in their time before, during, and after the event to make it so successful.”

There was also a corn hole tournament and generous donations to help raise funds.

It was Dean Thompson, of Ripley, winning first prize in the raffle; the proud new owner of Remington rifle.

“What a wonderful show of support by so many folks that truly made the benefit a big success, the generosity was nothing short of inspirational to myself and everyone that helped putting this together,” Rick Blackburn, who helped organize “Strikes for Mike”, said in a social media post following the event.

It was clear that “Strikes for Mike” was about much more than raising needed funds to aid Germann in his fight against cancer, but it was also a chance to show how loved he is by so many.

Mike Germann was surrounded by friends and loved ones who came out to support him during the “Strikes for Mike” event held at Community Lanes Bowling Alley in Georgetown, July 14.

https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_strikes-for-mike-1.jpgMike Germann was surrounded by friends and loved ones who came out to support him during the “Strikes for Mike” event held at Community Lanes Bowling Alley in Georgetown, July 14.